Democratic gubernatorial candidate Virg Bernero helped kick off a rally in support of American manufacturing in Jackson on Wednesday night.

“We made the things that made America great, and we will again,” he said.

Bernero, who faces Republican Rick Snyder on Nov. 2, promoted his new proposal called “make it in Michigan for free.”

His idea would free a business from paying taxes for 12 years if it turns an old factory or vacant building into an advanced manufacturing facility.

“We need to continue to make things. It’s what great nations do,” Bernero said.

The event was organized by the Alliance for American Manufacturing and was one of a dozen taking place across the country prior to the elections. It was the only one in Michigan.

The alliance is a partnership between the United Steelworkers union and business, and is focused on boosting manufacturing in the U.S.

Alliance Executive Director Scott Paul told the crowd why increasing manufacturing in the country is important.

In the past 10 years, the number of manufacturing jobs in the state has fallen by 48 percent. Across the country, close to 60,000 manufacturing facilities have closed in the last decade.

“That’s an extraordinary loss of manufacturing capacity and employment,” he said.

U.S. Rep. Mark Schauer, D-Battle Creek, talked of his support for the “Cash for Clunkers” law, which increased vehicle sales and led to the callback of hundreds of laid-off workers at Gerdau MacSteel in Napoleon Township.